Big thunderstorms likely in Somerset County

Strong thunderstorms are headed east from Pennsylvania and will hit Hunterdon, Warren, Somerset and other counties in New Jersey.

The National Weather Service said that shortly after 5 p.m., radar showed strong storms headed toward the Garden State at 30 mph.

"Wind gusts to 40 mph are possible with these storms. Small hail and frequent cloud-to-ground lightnig are also possible from these storms," NWS warned, adding that the storms have the potential to become severe.

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect for Hunterdon and 16 other counties in New Jersey. All counties in the Garden State except for four in the far southern part are included.

The National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla. issued the watch, which is in effect until 11 p.m. Friday.

There’s a 60% chance of showers and thunderstorms in Hunterdon and neighboring counties tonight, according to the NWS forecast updated at 3 p.m. Some of the storms could produce gusty winds and heavy rain, NWS said.

After the storms pass tonight, the temperatures will drop to around 68 by tomorrow morning and again reaching around 90 on Saturday afternoon.

It will be mostly sunny in Hunterdon on Saturday, and at this point the Sunday forecast is sunny, too, again with highs around 90.

According to the weather service, while a Heat Advisory was in place for today, it should not be needed on Saturday because lower humidity levels “should mean lower apparent temperatures.” In other words, it won’t feel as “sticky” tomorrow as it is.

The intensity of any storms today, NWS said, depends on how fast clouds from this morning move out, allowing more convection in the atmosphere and possibly stronger storms.

Big storms could drop as much as 2 inches of rain, but so far no flood watches have been issued.